Four for Friday meme

Grabbed this meme from Alto2 - remember imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.

Question 1 - Investing: If you had extra money to invest in 2007, where would you put it? Real Estate, the stock market, municipal bonds, a friend's start-up, in a savings account, in a hedge fund, under your mattress, in a foreign market, in U.S. savings bonds, mutual funds, precious metals, your 401K or IRA, baseball cards, or somewhere else?

I can't recall exactly how it went but I was listening to something on the radio the other day that said typically in years that the experts say that stocks are good and gold is bad, gold ends up doing better, so I'd put some in gold -- but probably mostly to retirement. After all, I can get a loan for education but when you're tooling around at 70, you can't get a loan for retirement ;}

Question 2 - Execution: As recently as yesterday afternoon, nearly six days after it happened, U.S. President George W. Bush steadfastly denied having seen the video of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's execution. Do you believe him?

I can't possibly imagine anyone having the stomach to watch ANYONE getting killed.

Question 3 - Gays in the Military: A recent poll from Zogby International shows that U.S. military personnel are increasingly at ease serving with openly gay colleagues. The poll reveals that 73 percent of military members are not bothered by lesbians and gays serving alongside them. Nearly one in four (23 percent) service members polled reported knowing for certain that someone in their unit is lesbian or gay, including 21 percent of those in combat units. Do you feel gay people should be allowed to serve in the U.S. military, and despite what you believe, has you opinion on this matter changed any over the last 5-10 years?

If I had people coming at me trying to blow me up, I'd want the people I was with to be intelligent, compassionate (at least toward their fellow soldiers), level headed, and a really great aim. I don't believe any of those qualities are determined by sexual orientation.

I hope like heck opinion on that is changing.

Question 4 - Movie: What was the last movie you saw, and would you recommend that I take my Mother to see it?

The last movie I saw was Happy Feet, and sure why not take mom. Take dad too while you're at it.

Gift meme

Alto2 tagged me with this -- I hereby tag anyone else.

Holiday Gift and Shopping Meme

What is the best present you received this year?

I guess some times it's hard to say because there's so many great gifts, and some times it's hard to say because everything is for ....... but THIS year there is no doubt what the best gift I got was. I can't honestly remember the last time I got a gift that was so great, and this puts 2006 in the annals of "Christmases to remember).

It was simple. It was a card, and in the card was a piece of paper. On the piece of paper was a poem and the poem let us know that the package will arrive sometime this summer (current ETA August 1, 2007). Any of my mom friends can tell you that August babies are the BEST!!! (Even June or July or September "August babies" it's the due date that counts). I've had 20 some years of experience as an Aunt -- so I do believe that now that it's removed one generation I will be a GREAT Aunt.

What is the worst present you received this year?

I haven't gotten a worst present yet. However, Crem promised that he'd put some coal in my stocking. He hasn't done this yet so maybe my worst present is not even getting a lump of coal. Sniff sniff I shall go cry now :^).

Will you shop the after-Christmas sales?

Ummm let's see, it's Thursday and so far I've only gone shopping at Trader Joe's to get stuff for dinner, and I went to the pet store to look for supplies for SAS (Crem's dog). They didn't have the filter Crem needed for the dog bowl, so I didn't get anything for SAS, but while I was there I got a chew toy off the Christmas bin for Fuzzybutt at 1/2 price. So I'll let you, dear readers, decide whether or not that's shopping the after-Christmas sales. The times I do shop "after Christmas" sales it's because I need (or will need) certain things and figure if I can get them at 1/2 price why not. (I mean I *could* have gotten Fuzzybutt a different chew toy that wasn't red and green -- but it wouldn't have been as cheap :} ).

What is still on your wish list?

Chocolate -- I received absolutely NO chocolate for Christmas. What kind of holiday is that??

The One Word Meme

The idea is to respond in one word with no explanations.

The One Word Meme

Yourself: Tired
Your partner: short-fused
Your hair: natural
Your Mother: yoyo
Your Father: principled
Your Favorite Item: chocolate
Your dream last night: curly
Your Favorite Drink: guinness
Your Dream Car: mustang convertible
Your Dream Home: paid
The Room You Are In: living room
Your Ex: where?
Your fear: pain
Where you Want to be in Ten Years: organized
Who you hung out with last night: family
What You’re Not: organized
Muffins: blueberry
One of Your Wish List Items: chocolate
Time: bedtime
The Last Thing You Did: read
What You Are Wearing: sweater
Your favorite weather: crisp
Your Favorite Book: drivel
Last thing you ate: watermelon
Your Life: limbo
Your mood: tight
Your Best Friends: solid
What are you thinking about right now:Crem
Your car: minivan
What are you doing at the moment: Blogging
Your summer: hot
Relationship status: Married
What is on your TV: Dust
What is the weather like: Crisp
When is the last time you laughed:

Science Fiction book meme

A Science Fiction book meme -- and I'm DONE for the day :} I'm really tired - I should train my children to SLEEP IN on school holidays.

This is a list of the 50 most significant science fiction/fantasy novels, 1953-2002, according to the Science Fiction Book Club.

Bold the ones you’ve read, strike-out the ones you hated, italicize those you started but never finished and put an asterisk beside the ones you loved.


The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien*
The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov
Dune, Frank Herbert
Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein*
A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
Neuromancer, William Gibson
Childhood’s End, Arthur C. Clarke
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe
A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov
Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras
Cities in Flight, James Blish
The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett
Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison
The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card
The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson
The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
Gateway, Frederik Pohl
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling*
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams*
I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin
Little, Big, John Crowley
Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
On the Beach, Nevil Shute
Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
Ringworld, Larry Niven
Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
The Silmarillion, J.R.R. TolkienSlaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut
Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner
The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein
Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock
The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks
Timescape, Gregory Benford
To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer